Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 113 Reunion at Dawn

San Francisco, Almonte.

While it's nighttime on the other side of the world, it's dawn here.

Old Hu knelt devoutly on the ground, held a book to his chest, and faced the sun to complete his prayer.

Not all people of Eastern descent returned to that land before the cataclysm; some, like seeds scattered from a tree, have already taken root in foreign lands.

For Lao Hu, this is his hometown where he grew up. Although he also longs for the rich and vast land that the older generation talks about, after all, his family, his children and grandchildren, and his relatives and friends are all in this place.

Nowadays, he can't even speak the language there fluently anymore. His several trips back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors before the Great Cataclysm had made him realize that he was no longer suited to the local climate and lifestyle. Therefore, when the East issued a notice, he still chose to stay here.

Just as he stood up, Lao Hu heard his son's voice behind him.

“Father, you’re worshipping that prophet again. Didn’t Vincent and the others clearly oppose this last time?”

"Oppose? I'm the one who objects to them worshiping their god." Old Hu snorted.

"Vincent's pig-like brain can only blindly believe in his god, and doesn't even believe that the god has actually helped him."

"But Vincent does possess some miraculous abilities!"

“You’ve been deceived by him,” Old Hu said. “The prophet left teachings in his book. Those so-called miracles are nothing more than superpowers that can be mastered by people. Just like I have mastered the ability to enhance my physique, this is not a gift from God, but comes from ourselves.”

"Even if all of this really originated from a so-called god, that god is nothing more than a powerful superhuman."

"I think that prophet has deceived you!" Old Hu's son crossed his arms and said with disdain, "Besides, he's just a little stronger. How can he compare to Vincent's ability to manipulate the wind?"

"You are so devout to your prophet, will he come from the East to save you?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll break your legs." Old Hu was furious. He raised his hand and slapped his son across the face, then put the book he was holding on the table next to him.

"Now, go back to your room and copy this book. Don't come out for dinner until you've finished."

“It was my own choice to leave that land; staying here is the sin I deserve.”

"And I firmly believe that the prophet will come here and bring salvation to this sinful land."

"The things in this book have saved us countless times. If you continue to criticize the prophet with this attitude, I will show you what regret is!"

The young man, who had been slapped by his superhuman father, screamed and staggered back several steps. He leaned on the table, stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. Old Hu, no longer willing to talk to him, slammed the door shut.

"……hiss……"

The young man touched the corner of his mouth and found that blood had seeped out. Soon, half of his face was burning with pain and was clearly swollen.

"Old man, if Mom were still here..." he muttered under his breath, not daring to make a loud sound.

Looking at the book beside him, the young man even considered tearing it up, but thinking of the slap his father had given him earlier, he didn't dare. He sighed, picked up the book, and went to his room.

On the other side, after Old Hu stepped out of the room, he came into the courtyard.

The place he was in could be considered a proper survivor camp, with many East Asian faces similar to Lao Hu. In fact, their situations were all similar; most of them had migrated here from Chinatown, since Chinatown, located in the city center, was hardly safe.

Of course, the residents here are not only of East Asian descent, but the majority are people of color, with relatively few white people. As for the other white people...

Thinking of this, Old Hu spat on the ground. Most of those arrogant guys were gathered around Vincent.

Birds of a feather flock together. After the cataclysm, they received no official news, only occasional mentions from survivors wandering the city of a military-established safe zone on the other side of the city.

Nobody wanted to get close to the military; nobody wanted to. When Lao Hu and his men heard the news, they moved their camp thirty miles in the opposite direction before finally settling down here.

Currently, there are three major forces in the vicinity: besides Lao Hu and his group, there is the white community led by Vincent, and another group of black people led by a superhuman named Old John.

There were even more small teams and groups. When Lao Hu and his team were collecting supplies, they would always encounter some strange people who were armed and active in the ruins of the city, surviving alone.

The good thing is that the survivors mostly avoid provoking each other, and for Lao Hu, at least the people in the camp get along fairly well.

"Hu! Come quick! I think I heard something on the radio, it sounds like your language!"

A tall, dark-skinned old man had just returned from outside. He was a friend of Lao Hu's. He saw Lao Hu immediately and called out to him.

Radio station?

Old Hu was taken aback.

He knew the radio could be used, since some news from the East had arrived before the Cataclysm. After the Cataclysm, they used various parts to make some simpler radio equipment for communication within the convoy.

They really need this kind of thing; almost everyone in the camp has a vehicle, which is key to their survival and migration after the cataclysm.

But these things are only for short-range communication. If two cars are a little far apart, they can't hear each other clearly, so how could they receive signals from completely unknown sources?
Is it...

The group of people in the yard exchanged glances, quickly put down what they were doing, and together they came to the parking area in the camp. From a distance, they could see that several people were already gathered there; they were the teammates who had been collecting supplies with the elderly black man.

"I've brought Hu here, everyone make way, make way!" Although Old Hu's Dongfang dialect wasn't fluent, it was still easy to understand. And now that most Dongfang people had long since returned to their homeland, he was indeed one of the people here who understood Dongfang languages ​​best.

Everyone made way for him, and Lao Hu didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down in the car and started watching the radio.

"Zizi..."

Amidst a crackling sound, a voice gradually became clearer. Old Hu, who had often followed Oriental News before the cataclysm, suddenly froze. He recognized it almost instantly—it was the voice of the Oriental Secretary-General.

The sound seemed to be playing on a loop. When Lao Hu and the others arrived, they happened to catch the end of the first playback and the beginning of the second.

"...Fellow countrymen and friends, I am honored to be here, at this moment, to speak to you on behalf of this country and this nation."

As soon as that deep, resonant voice appeared, Lao Hu suddenly felt a stinging sensation in the corner of his eye, and his whole being felt instantly at ease.

He wasn't the only one; many others in the crowd who could understand the message shared the same feeling.

This made some people anxious: "Don't just listen to it yourself, tell us what it's saying!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Hu quickly rubbed his face and began translating along with the voice on the radio. His speech was a bit hesitant, after all, he wasn't a professional translator, but it was still understandable.

Finally, the group understood the meaning of those words.

"...Through the hard work and struggle of countless soldiers, the diligent efforts of engineers in the Taimeng Research Zone, and the guidance and leadership of Commander-in-Chief Su, we have finally established this global broadcasting system. Through it, my voice can finally reach your ears."

“My fellow countrymen, I know the weight of suffering. We have witnessed the fall of the city and experienced the pain of losing loved ones. We have been trudging through the abyss of despair for far too long.”

"Today, we finally heard each other's voices. This is not the end of suffering, but it can be said to be the clearest declaration before dawn: We have not been exterminated, we still exist!"

At this point in the translation, Lao Hu stopped to catch his breath. A friend patted him on the back to calm him down.

Looking at his silent companions standing around him, Lao Hu followed the voice and continued:

"...We have already lost too much, but now we must clearly understand that the road ahead is long and full of challenges, requiring every survivor to strive forward!"

"Fellow countrymen, do not be afraid, do not worry!"

"We have emerged from the catastrophe and are standing at the starting point of a brand new civilization. This is not a simple restoration of the old world, but a rebirth for all mankind, tempered in the flames!"

The slightly aged voice on the radio became even more powerful, and Old Hu raised his voice as well. He wasn't sure if his translation was correct, but following the meaning, he spoke with great enthusiasm:
"Millions of years ago, humankind discovered fire. Since then, we have studied it, mastered it, and used its power to become the most powerful race on this planet, establishing a brilliant civilization!"

"Three centuries ago, mankind discovered electricity. Since then, we have studied it, mastered it, and with its power, we have even been able to break free from the constraints of the earth and venture into the distant deep space!"

"Today, spiritual power has come into this world in a forceful and irresistible form, bringing us cruel damage, but also opening the door to a new world. Today, facts have proven that we can still study it, master it, and ultimately, with its power, allow our civilization to be reborn and move towards a new life!"

"Fellow countrymen, friends!"

"The road ahead is still long, and the challenges remain severe, but we are no longer alone. With the strength of our reunion, with our indomitable courage and wisdom, we will eventually dispel the final darkness!"

"Now, we will take immediate action to restore the nation's core functions!"

"Large-scale communication links will be established in all shelters, safe zones, and bases. We will establish a nationwide joint command system to share resources, coordinate deployment, and cooperate in defense—ensuring that every force flows to where it is most needed!"

At this point, Lao Hu's voice suddenly stopped. He glanced at the city in the distance, which looked like ruins, and suddenly felt a pang of pain for no reason. He now longed for that land on the other side of the ocean even more.

This time, fewer people urged him on, but the radio broadcast never stopped and continued to echo in the parking lot.

After a pause, Lao Hu continued reading aloud.

"...We will rebuild research institutions, concentrate our efforts on overcoming difficulties, restore power supply to the safe zone, rebuild the basic medical system, and restart education and inheritance."

"We will defend the dignity of every life. No matter where you are, you are an integral part of the nation. We will build safe transportation corridors to deliver critical supplies and support our compatriots in difficult circumstances—leaving no one behind!"

"In the not-too-distant future, we will rebuild our homes."

"The old town of Haiqu was destroyed by the disaster, but the people of Haiqu built the first safe zone in the apocalypse with their own hands."

"In the future, we will rebuild a new Haiqu City, a new Fog City, a new Jinling, and a new Shanghai. Our descendants will witness the misty rain of Suzhou and Hangzhou, the springs of Licheng, and the waves of Yunmeng."

"Our ancient civilization was buried in ruins by the great catastrophe, but those who survived will eventually build new miracles on the ruins."

As he spoke, Old Hu's eyes suddenly brightened again. He looked at his companions and said loudly:

"In the not-too-distant future, we will also go out into the world, to Europe, to America, to every land, to every sea, and to rebuild all the lost sunrises on the scorched earth!"

"Facts have proven that disasters cannot defeat us, and what does not defeat us will only make us stronger!"

"Today, we have been reunited at dawn through these radio waves."

"When the time comes, we will surely meet again under the sun!"

(End of this chapter)